Page 2 of The Tsar's Obsession
I wasn’t. I wasn’t free. I was trapped and deeply entangled in a dark web of crime, digging my heels further in with every passing year. I was rising to the top, asserting my power, beginning my rule with an iron fist, and…I was also miserable.
She was happy, enjoying her night, not vying for anyone’s attention. She was simply there to have a good time. Club lights bounced off her long, dark blonde hair and illuminated all her features: soft, smooth skin, crimson lips, and hersmile. Her smile. Joy and positivity radiated off her in waves, each one drowning me further.
“Kirill, we have to agree on the price.” Dmitry half growled in my ear, but my eyes and mind were with her a few long strides away.Allof me was with that young woman—the antidote to all the darkness inside me. “Or else all this has been for naught.”
His worries meant nothing to me when I physically couldn’t rip my eyes away from this…thisangel. I was about to fuck up this deal, but I seemed to have lost all care in the world.
“Ivan! That one,” I commanded one of my security guys andpointed toward her without shame. “Find out who she is and who she came with.” Without question, he went to fulfill my request and, after only a minute, returned with an annoying and disappointing message.
“She’s an American tourist here with her university group. Doesn’t really speak Russian. They’re here on some language and culture trip.” What a kick in the balls. She didn’t speak my language, and I sure as hell didn’t speak hers.
My mind buzzed with a thousand thoughts. I could get her up here, to my VIP section, but that would scare her to death. I could–
But then it happened. She threw her hair to the side, that luscious mane falling around her shoulders and neck, and for a moment, we made eye contact. She caught me staring and paused, returning the same energy—her eyes piercing mine like daggers. Yes, she noticed.
I watched her. Enjoyed her. Instantly fucking powerless.
“Kirill, brother, just give them this. They’re not asking for much, just a five percent increase from their previous allegiances!” Dmitry tried to implore me again, his clean-shaved head coming into my peripheral vision.
With my heart pummeling the inside of my ribcage, I zoned back into my dark reality, still locked in a staring contest with her. “No. It’s either my way or death. Make sure they walk away with that understanding tonight.” I threw the words out but stepped closer to the dance floor, testing her reaction.
Dmitry’s lack of response was a clear answer that he wasn’t happy, but that was the least of my concerns. My main focus, all my life energy and attention, were on this girl. This angel who descended to my level of hell. Surely, she must have lost her way. What wasshedoinghere?
A real angel in my dark Heaven.
My infatuation was irrevocable, my interest alarming, and her presence here—dangerous for me.It was a paradox. I was the danger—there wasn’t anything or anyone more threatening than me—and yet, my hands were clammy.
Good God, was I…was I nervous?!
The young woman didn’t look away. In a second, her doe eyes turned sultry, that little devious smile growing wider. Slowly, her hands traveled up her body, from her hips to the dip of her waist. She was putting on a show just for me. Her white t-shirt rode up slightly, revealing her belly button and sending my ferocious desire into overdrive.
“It’s not the time–” Dmitry’s voice sounded in my ear as my insides boiled at what I was witnessing. Higher, her fingers slid over what I imagined were the perkiest, most desirable tits on the planet, “–to turn them down. We need their network!” Her hands settled on her long and kissable neck, and she watched my reaction before delivering the death blow. The unforgettable vixen who lured me into her game slipped her tongue between her index and middle fingers, making it painfully clear what she wanted—and what I was desperate to give her.
With a wide smile, she winked and turned away. “Do you understand?” I heard Dmitry’s voice again, but I understoodnothing.
Within a few seconds of seeing her,I was nothing. A man who submitted gangs, annihilated competition, and usurped power from the elder leaders. A man who killed and robbed, lied and manipulated, who just got out of prison last year.
I was broken inside; I knew that very well, and I somehow ended up within a few meters of a literal goddess, the princess of virtue and holiness.
An entire inferno lit up inside me, shutting down all my logical thoughts. I was drunk, not on the vodka, but on the sight of her tongue between her fingers. I could barely keep my eyes open after watching her do that—for me. I had to have her. I had to get to her.
It was now or never.
“Kirill?” I heard my name somewhere behind me because my legs were already carrying me to her. My eyesight rendered me blind to the chaotic rave around me—I could only see her. And she…well, she held my gaze without question. Without fear. With provocation.
Time stood still—there was only her, and everything else was a void. There was no more blasting music; there wasno more grimy club floor beneath my feet. There was no more Kirill Alekseev, rising Bratva leader. I was paralyzed, and she wielded all the power.
“Hi!”
Oh shit, that’s right, she was a foreigner. Of course, that made perfect sense. That’s how she ended up in this club—that’s why she flirted with me so carelessly, not having any idea who occupied that VIP booth.
I stayed silent, feasting my eyes on the sight of her angelic facial features, getting a hint of her scent. Fuck. She smelled like cotton candy: sweet and mouthwatering. I wanted to take a bite—bury my face in the crook of her neck and taste her, suffocate on her.
“U tebya,”her accent was thick, “ochen…horoshie glaza?”She asked if I had good eyes, and I couldn’t stop my joyous smile. When was the last time I felt joy? “No, it’s ugh…krasivie?Beautiful? How do you say that again?” Her long black eyelashes swooshed up, and then she pinned me to the ground with all the fucking tease that her hazel eyes threw my way.
“Krasivie,”I confirmed with a nod. At this moment, I realized that it was over for me. I knew perfectly well that I would never be able to get this girl out of my head. In an instant, she’d settled there, moved in with all her belongings, and she wasn’t planning to pay rent. No, she already owned the fucking place.
“U tebya ochen krasivie glaza!”She was so proud of her efforts, her smile pure and light. Light, she waslight. Before I could even react to her words, the softest and warmest little hand snuck into mine and, without hesitation, tugged me closer.
